What is Google Compute Engine?
Virtual machines for any workload
Online VMs on high-performance, reliable cloud infrastructure offered on preset or custom machine types for web servers, databases, or AI.
Includes one e2-micro VM instance, up to 30 GB storage, and up to 1 GB of outbound data transfers free per month.
Preset and custom configurations
Prebuilt samples called Jump Start Solutions can be used to deploy an application in minutes, such as a dynamic website, load-balanced VM, Java application, three-tier web app, or ecommerce web app.
Offers predefined machine types, sizes, and configurations for any workload, from large enterprise applications, to modern workloads (like containers) or AI/ML projects that require GPUs and TPUs.
For more flexibility, a custom machine type between 1 and 96 vCPUs with up to 8.0 GB of memory per core can be created. Also offers many block storage options, from flexible Persistent Disk to high performance and low-latency Local SSD.
Industry-leading reliability
Compute Engine boasts strong single instance compute availability SLA: 99.95% availability for memory-optimized VMs and 99.9% for all other VM families. Offers live migration to maintain workload continuity during planned and unplanned events. When a VM goes down, Compute Engine performs a live migration to another host in the same zone.
Automations and recommendations for resource efficiency
VMs can be added automatically to handle peak load and replace underperforming instances with managed instance groups.
Resources can be manually adjusted using historical data with rightsizing recommendations, or capacity for planned demand spikes can be guaranteed with future reservations. All of Google's latest compute instances (C3, A3, H3) run on Titanium, a system of purpose-built microcontrollers and tiered scale-out offloads to improve infrastructure performance, life cycle management, and security.
Pricing and discounting
Google offers detailed pricing guidance for any VM type or configuration, and a pricing calculator to get a personalized estimate.
To save on batch jobs and fault-tolerant workloads, Spot VMs are offered to reduce costs. Automatic discounts for sustained use are offered, or up to 70% off when signing up for committed use discounts.
Security controls and configurations
Encrypts data-in-use and while it’s being processed with Confidential VMs.
Defends against rootkits and bootkits with Shielded VMs.
Meets compliance standards for data residency, sovereignty, access, and encryption with Assured Workloads.
Categories & Use Cases
Videos
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How to choose the right VM With thousands of applications, each with different requirements, which VM is right for you?
Technical Details
| Deployment Types | SaaS |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |